PETERSBURG — Upper Township Committee met for a budget workshop Feb. 14 and reported the preliminary spending plan is about $450,000 too high.
Chief Financial Officer Barbara Ludy said last year’s budget was $15,480,943, with $4,108,933 to be raised by taxes. The municipal tax rate is 21.9 cents per $100. She did not want to share this year’s projections, saying it’s too early in the process.
Mayor Curtis Corson, Deputy Mayor Jay Newman, Committeeman John Coggins and Committeewoman Kim Hayes discussed areas for potential cuts with department heads in attendance. Committeeman Mark Pancoast was absent.
Corson said fuel costs have risen and likely will continue to do so, requiring more money for that line item for multiple departments.
Members were searching line by line for savings, with Hayes reporting they could do with $21,500 instead of $30,000 for celebrations of public events.
Corson felt the situation needed a large knife instead of tweezers, suggesting the elimination of four new hires would solve the problem.
“We have to make a big cut, a thousand here and there is not going to do it,” he said.
Seven total new hires are being requested, including three for EMS, three for road crew and one for recycling.
Corson said each employee costs about $45,000 in salary and $30,000 in benefits, so eliminating three would save $225,000.
“That’s half our nut right there,” Corson said. “We can go line item by line item, hour after hour and we’re going to be chasing our tales around.”
Newman argued that hiring EMS workers would decrease overtime pay.
Corson said the department had 100 hours of overtime last month and that hiring more people over the past several years “hasn’t eliminated it, it’s as bad or worse.”
“I don’t know what the answer is. This is stark reality. It’s a numbers game. We have to cut our budget $452,000,” Corson said. “If we want to do anything above that, we have to go out in front of the voters. When you give the voters an opportunity to vote on a tax increase, nine times out of 10 they vote no and we are going to be right back where we are today.”
At end of meeting, it was decided that each committee member would go back to their department heads to find the money.
“The problem is we have a tight budget. We have to make some hard decisions here,” Corson said. “We can have all the employees in the world but if we can’t put them in a truck to pick up trash, there’s no sense in having employees.”
Committee also discussed funding a study into the possibility of remodeling the rescue squad building. Corson said the Rescue Squad would be a priority.
Also mentioned was the desire to get a port-a-potty with running water for the Upper Township Beach Patrol. Corson said about 40 percent of the lifeguards are female and the existing facility is inadequate.
“We want to have running water,” Corson said. “We have a diversified beach patrol. Some people need a port-a-potty and need to wash their hands when they’re done.”
The next budget workshop is scheduled for 5 p.m. Feb. 28 at Township Hall.
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff